Improvement in machines for paging books



NITE STATES PATENT OFFIC JOHN MCADAMS, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

Specication forming part of Letters VPatent No. 87,693, dated March V9,1869.

To all whom it may concern: y

` Be it known that I, JOHN MGADAMS, of Brooklyn, in the county'of Kingsand State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement inPaging-Machines, of which the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, formingpart of this specification, and in which Figure 1 represents apartly-sectional side elevation of a book-pagin g machine constructed inaccordance with my improvement; Fig. 2, a plan thereof; Fig. 3, a frontview of the same; Fig. 4, a plan, onan enlarged scale, of a portion ofthe type-feeding mechanism, and Fi g. 5 a sectional elevation of thesame in part.

ASimilar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.

Machines have before been made in which numbers or name-types have beenconnected to form a chain, .said types being inked and brought around toprint successively either numbers for book-paging or for numbering ormarking other articles-as,` for instance, in the `machine for numbering'the pages of accountbooks, secured 'to me' by Letters Patent of theUnited States bearing date the 12th day of August, 1851, and reissuedJanuary 26, 1858, and in which the numbers of two pages aresimultaneously printed on the two opposite corners of the same side of asheet, also the numbers of two pages on each side of a sheet, while thesheet is passing once through the machine, two type-chains or continuouslines of type parallel with each other being used.

My present improvement in such or other like connection consists in apeculiarly-operating leaf-turner arranged toact mechanically, orautomatically, as it were, to facilitate the `paging of a series ofleaves in succession; also,

in a combination of impression-levers and cndless tapes or belt' appliedto form a constantly surface changing tympan to the levers; likewise, ina vertically and horizontally adjustable table for the work, with itsforward edge arranged to occupy a diagonal position to give a closersupport to the leaves relatively to the impression devices.

The invention also consists in the employment of a skeleton cylinderloosely mounted on a drum or wheel and adjustable endwise, for

operation in connection with the type-chain to Y feed or supply orremove it from the machine,

or to facilitate change of type-chains and washing or cleansing of them;also, a combination of leaf-turner, leaf-sustaining finger, andleafdetainer. v

Referring to the accompanying drawings, A represents an ink-wheel thatmay be rotated and inked by a hand-roller as often as necessary-saythree or four times a day, or less or more frequently, according to theamount and steadiness of the work. The ink is distributed or taken upfrom this wheel and conveyed to the types b of the chain of types B by aroller, a, carried by a suitable frame that is pivoted to or otherwiseconnected with a beam or lever, C, hungon andworked by the treadle-shaftc in such manner as that said roller, having been supplied with ink fromthe wheel A, is, upon pressing down the treadle D, moved over the working table or plate d and then over two or more of the types of the chainof types in front t of said plate, so as to thoroughly ink the same,after which, on the foot being removed from pressure on the treadle, aspring, e, connected with the treadle-shaft causes the lever C to .throwor work back the roller a and to bring it in contact with the wheel A,whereby it is again supplied with ink, and slightly turns or moves thewheel A each time it thus strikes the latter, thereby varying` theinking-surface and producing more uniformity in the inking.

The type-chain B is or may be made with types projecting from thesurface of the links and the numbers thereon arranged, so that the typesb will be back to back-or, in other words, be reversely disposed, asrepresented in Fig. L 1c-in order that they may occupy a position thatwill enable them to produce an impression in consecutive order againstthe opposite corners of the leaves of a book, said leaves lying oneabove and the other below a attened portion or turning-plate, f, roundwhich the type-chain passes, and by which it is fed in an intermittentmanner, link by link, the leaves being pressed'upon or against the typesor consecutive pairs of them by impression-levers g g',

one above and the other below the leaf, and

operating to print two numbers simultaneously. These levers g g are hungfast on shafts h h',

that are geared together by pinions or seg-` ments t' fi', to which apartial rotation is given by a pitmamj, connecting an arm from the oneof them with a lever keyed von the treadle-shaft. c, to move toward eachother said impressionlevers when it is required to produce theimpression, and away from each other, or to open them, as it were, whenit is necessary to introduce the sheets or leaves or place them inposition for receiving an impression.

The flattened portion or turnin g-plate f, that serves, as it isrotated,intermittently each halfrevolution, say, to move the typefchainlink by link, is connected with or forms part of a shaft, 7c, thatderives its motion from a rack, E, which is operated by or through alever on the treadleshaft c by a rod, l, said rack gearing into or witha pinion, F, that is connected with the shaftlc by a pawl and ratchet,m, (seen more clearlyin Fig. 5,) so that said pinion only operates theshaft lc a half-revolution in one direction of its travel-say during thedownstroke of the rack-to draw forward the type intermittently asrequired, and to give the requisite motion to a leaf-turner (moreminutely described hereinafter) arranged on the end of said shaft. Toaid in completing these intermittent half-revolutions of the shaft 7c inthe one direction only, so as to produce a regularity of action and tohold such shaft when turned, the same is formed with a flattenedportion, u, for a spring, o, to press or bear against. The book to bepaged is laid, with, if bound, its back turned over or back, on a table,H, which is set on a vertically-sliding frame, I, in such manner as thatit may also be horizontally adjusted-say by means of a lever, J-nearerto or farther from the impression devices, so as to adjust the positionof the book, in order that the impression may come in the right place.The front edge, s, of this table H is made sloping, inclining in aforward direction away from the front ofthe machine,

in order that there may be a fuller or better support for the leaves ofthe book in proximity to the impression, to prevent them sagging withoutsubjectingthe table H to such advanced position generally as to throw itin the way of the printing mechanism or working portions of the machinerelating thereto.

Theframe I, that carries the table H, is fitted in a stationary frame,so as to be capable of vertically sliding therein, and has connectedwith it a rack, K, that has gearing into or with it a pinion, L, on theshaft of which is a wheel, S, operated by any suitable friction-clamp,connected in an adjustable manner by a rod, q, with the treadle D, saidclamp m being worked up and down by the action of the treadle, onlyserving to turn the wheel S in one direction, a spring, 1', restrainingit from back travel, and such movement of the wheel operating, .throughthe pinion L and rack K, to gradually lower the table H as the pagingprogresses, thereby keeeping the book at all times at a proper level orattitude for printing.

As before observed, to page the book, its leaves are dropped insuccession on the upper set of type and turned below or beneath theunder set (or below the attened portion or plate f of the shaft la ortypes bearing against the same) by the leaf-turner G, and from thencebelow a guard or detainer, as hereinafter described, so that when theimpression-levers g g are brought together the printing or paging willbe effected. To prevent the under leaf or sheet, that is pressed upwardby the lever g', from sagging or falling down before it has received itsimpression, I employ a sustainingfinger, M, which is carried by saidlever and extends out therefrom, and whereby the sheet that falls uponit is partially sustained and properly held up until printed.

The leaf-turner G on the end of the shaft 7c consists of two armsradiating from opposite sides of the shaft, and which, making half arevolution each time the impression-levers g g separate after making animpression, carries by its one arm the lower leaf or sheet down out ofthe way below, say, a curved detainer, N, and by its other arm amovesthe upper one of the two leaves down below the type, and receives on orover it the next sheet or leaf, as dropped by the attendant. In this wayare the leaves adjusted and turned to receive their impressions from thereversely arranged or numbered type in due form on their opposite sidesas they lie to receive the impression first above and next below thetype-chain on opposite sides of the plate f. If necessary, thisleaf-turner G may be notched to insure its movement of the leaves orsheets as described.

Around the pressing surfaces or portions of the impression-levers g g ispassed an endless tape, a, of any desired length, and carried repeatedlyor consecutively around grooved pull leys v, to give to it an extendedrun or to include within a small space or compass a considerable lengthof tape, the one portion of which passes around the impression-lever gand another around the impression-lever g. The tape u, thus or otherwiseequivalently arranged, acts as a tympan,it being of sucient thickness togive it the necessary elasticity; and, in order that a fresh surface maybe presented each impression, said tape is moved gradually or atintervals to remove the offset of each previous impression and preventblurring. This may be done by any suitably-constructed friction-clamp,T, worked up and down by a rod, Z, connected with a lever on thetreadle-shaft c and operating only to draw upon the tape in onedirection, whereby a continuous travel of the tape is kept up.

The type-chain B, which may be of any desired length, according to thenumber of pages required to be impressed, and which passes round theplate f of the shaft k, may be continued up and down in a zigzagdirection around any number of pulleys fw; or such arrangement may, orat least to a considerable extent, if desired, be dispensed with and thetype-chain be supplied to the machine round the plate f direct by orfrom a skeleton cylinder, P, of wire-gauze. This cylinder is slippedloosely on or over a drum or plain second cylinder, Q, that may be hungby an arm or bracket, as at w w, to a fixed frame at its one end, inorder that by pressing on a lever, y, it may be tilted or raised at itsopposite end,which is left free to facilitate the getting on and off ofthe typechain and of the skeleton cylinder P, carrying the same. Saiddrum Q also has connected with or fitting through a female threadtherein a screw, R, having a fixed relationship, and carried, say, bythe swinging arm or bracket which supports the drum, so that the chainof types can be wound upon or unwound from the skeleton cylinder thatrests ou the drum by turning the latter, the screw R causing the drumeach revolution to give an end movement to the type-chain cylinder equalto the width of the chain, so that the latter will be wound or unwoundhelically there on or from. In this way may a proper feed of thetype-chain be made to the machine; or, supposing the ma chine to besupplied with a run orlength of chain apart from that on the cylinder P,as shown in the drawings, then on cutting or disconnecting thetype-chain in use on the machine at a point adjacent to-the skeletoncylinder P and attaching one end of such cut chain to said cylinder andthe other end to the free end of a duplicate chain of types wound on thecylinder P, the chain that has beeuin use on the machine may, by turningthe drum Q, be wound on the cylinder P, and at the same time the newchain of types be unwound therefrom into place on the machine and itsends united. The skeleton cylinder P being arranged loose orremovable'on the drum Q, (and revolving, it may be, by frictionalcontact therewith,) the old or used chain of types on the cylinderP-may, by simply drawing off i said cylinder from the drum, be readilywashed and cleaned on all sides by immersion of it and the cylinder inany suitable alkaline solution, thereby iitting it for use again in themachine on returning the cylinder to its place on the drum.

What is here claimed, and desired to be secured by Letters Patent, is-

1. The revolving leaf-turner G, in combinatiouwith the chain of types,for operation in connection with the impression-levers or theirequivalents, essentially as and for the purposes herein set forth.

2. The intermittentlyrevolving flattened portion f of the shaft k,carrying the type-chain, and operating, in combination with the levers gg', to print the even and odd numbers simultaneously, as specilied.

l3. The table H, adjustable to or from the im-r pression devices, a-lsomade capable of being lowered iu a regular or graduated manner, as

described, and having its forward edge, s, arranged to occupy aninclined or diagonal position relatively to its horizontal adjustment oraction, as and for the purpose herein set forth.

4. The skeleton cylinder P, mounted as described, or otherwiseequivalently carried, and adjustable or moved endwise by screw or itsequivalent, for operation in connection with the chain of types, asherein set forth.

5. The combination, with the leaf-turner Gr, of the leaf-sustaininglinger M and sheet or leaf detainer N for operation together essenvtially as described.

' JOHN MGADAMS.

Witnesses: A. LECLERC,

E. P. TRACY.I

